Climbing Reports

Travel using both feet and hands, whether scrambling unroped or technical climbing using rope and anchors.

Grand Wash Cliffs, Arizona, April 2024

May 23, 2024 by Paul McClellan 2 Comments

After breakfast Sunday morning, April 21, I said goodbye to Eric and Stacey Kassan as they left our campsite to climb nearby Iron Mountain. The slopes of Iron Mountain above seemed steep and I expected they would have a memorable day. I then left our campsite and drove further south to Ray Place, a remote and apparently abandoned homestead in the Iron Spring Wash below the Grand Wash Cliffs.

Duncan Benchmark appears above cliffs from Ray Place

My goal was to climb Duncan Benchmark, the highpoint of the Grand Wash Cliffs. Duncan Benchmark has 2209 feet of topographic prominence, making it the 54th most prominent peak in Arizona. I understood it had a reputation for being brushy, but from reports the brush was manageable and I was not expecting it to be a particular problem.

[Read more…]

Dunn Springs Mountain, Arizona, April 2024

April 27, 2024 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Sunday afternoon, April 7, Matthias Stender and I left Orange Butte and drove south and east towards the Chiricahua Mountains. We joined Andy Martin at a primitive campsite in Wood Canyon.

Our campsite below Dunn Springs Mountain

Here I first met Andy, a prolific peakbagger with decades of experience in and knowledge of the mountains. Recently Andy pointed out to Matthias that Matthias has been the most active hiker in Arizona in recent years according to how peakbaggers track these things. Andy and Matthias are much more serious peakbaggers than me. The three of us spent an enjoyable evening together and a pleasant night beneath Dunn Springs Mountain, our next day’s goal.

[Read more…]

Orange Butte, Arizona, April 2024

April 27, 2024 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Sunday, April 7, Matthias Stender, Wade Luther, and I climbed Orange Butte northeast of Bowie, Arizona. Orange Butte has 1040 feet of topographic prominence, placing it well down on the list of Arizona Prominence peaks. But it is quite visible to the north from Interstate Highway 10 between Willcox and the New Mexico state line. I was glad to have an opportunity climb Orange Butte with Matthias and looked forward to meeting Wade.

Orange Butte rises steeply to the east from our access road.

The three of us rendezvoused Sunday morning in the town of Bowie. From Bowie we caravanned north and east across the desert on good dirt roads.

[Read more…]

Bowie Mountain, Arizona, March 2024

March 24, 2024 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Thursday, March 24, I climbed Bowie Mountain, immediately south of the Fort Bowie National Historic Site in southeast Arizona. Bowie Mountain, with 1189 feet of topographic prominence, lies in the northern Chiricahua Mountains. It is visible to the south from Interstate 10, but seems most impressive to the northeast as one drives Arizona Highway 186 between Willcox and the Chiricahua National Monument.

Bowie Mountain to the west from Wood Mountain (2021-03-21)

I had previously attempted Bowie Mountain from the west in combination with a climb of Helens Dome. This was a Southern Arizona Hiking Club trip in December 2021 with Dave Kohnke, June Meyer, and Brian Brondel. We ran out of time once we reached the western rim of Bowie Mountain’s rocky summit ridge. Dave and June returned later to climb Bowie Mountain from Fort Bowie but I was unable to join them then. So this peak had been on my wish list for several years.

[Read more…]

« Previous Page